Darayya

Darayya is a suburb of Damascus located 5 miles southwest of the city center. Located in Rif Dimashq Governorate, Syria, Darayya is a part of the broader Ghouta district, and it is one of the oldest cities in the country; Paul the Apostle converted to Christianity "on Damascus road" in Darayya. An early location of anti-government protests during the Syrian Civil War (2011-present), Darayya was the site of a 20-25 August 2012 massacre of up to 500 Sunni Muslims by the Shabiha militia and Syrian Arab Army troops, and the district is currently a battleground in western Damascus between the Syrian Opposition and pro-Syrian Arab Republic forces. The suburb was abandoned by many people, leading to the creation of "ghost districts" inhabited by opposition fighters. The Syrian Air Force therefore had the ability to indiscriminately bomb the ghost districts of Darayya, hoping to kill opposition fighters.